Turbulence is a fact of an airline flight that is practically unavoidable.
For the most part, it’s easily navigated and barely noticeable. At other times, well, it’s the opposite.
For flight attendant Eden Garrity, a bout with turbulence last year has had some dramatic consequences as she continues to rehabilitate what turned out to be a broken ankle.
In seven places.
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That’s right, Garrity broke her ankle in seven places when the Thomas Cook Airlines flight she was working from Cuba to Manchester, England, on August 2 suddenly rose 500 feet in an instant.
Garrity fell, was pinned to the ground, and the pressure on her ankle caused the multiple breaks.
Unfortunately, it was another seven hours before the plane landed in England, and Garrity had to suffer in pain, laying down across three seats the rest of the way.
“It was absolutely terrifying,” she said. “The plane shot up 500 feet within seconds. The force of the turbulence pinned me to the ground and forced me toward the floor. My feet were locked to the ground and my ankle just completely snapped. I didn’t realize what had happened until I tried to take a step and I collapsed.”
Garrity said it was nothing like she had ever gone through before.
“We hit a massive hail storm. The pilot said to me afterward that it turned black all around him,” she said. “It was by far the worst turbulence I have ever experienced as a crew member or a passenger.”
Making matters worse, Garrity is out of a job and stuck with medical bills – Thomas Cook collapsed barely a month after the incident.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Official Receiver in charge of Thomas Cook’s insolvency said, “Former employees who may have had insurance-related claims against Thomas Cook prior to liquidation will now be treated as unsecured creditors. To make a claim against the company in liquidation or against the insurance policy, former employees should contact the Special Managers.”
